The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-07-21
ssTHE. FARMERS Alliance
What a Mechanic Thinks of It--- Re-
viewed.
[Special Cor. SrArE CHRoNICLEl

What a Mechanic Thinks of It---Re-
viewed.
Especial Cor. STATE CHRoNICLE.l
NEAR RALEIGH, N. c., July II, 1851
In the CHRONICLE of the 7th inst. there
appeared an article over the initials I'D.
I. H." which is not calculated to do much
credit to the writer, or uStice to the
ganization about which he evinces such
solicitude. After giving rather flatter-
ing report of the condition of crops in two
counties in North Carolina and one in
South Carolina, he proceeds to pour out
his whim- -deluded soul on what appears to
be the burden of his heart, to-wit: 1.-The
interest felt down there in the outcome of
a TEXAS GAME known as the Farmers Al
lance" The writer appears to be at a
loss as to how to conceal his ignorance of
the subject of which he writes and at the
same time express his utter contempt for
an order a"~'-' --.vn he appears to know
so little. After characterizing the origin
Of the association as a ''TeXas Gaule,' in
which he evidently aims thrust at one of
the most prosperous Southern States; he
then waves the bloody shirt and cries
out in agony of soul, ''Antagonism, An
tagonsm.." Judas like, he ca ries the
kiss of betrayal on his lips, but the dagger
of the assassin in his hand. He expresses
a desire to see the the farmers united in
''township, county, and State clubs; then
he mounts the watch tower without au-
thority or orders and sounds the alarm,
''Oh, ye toiling, extrayagant lien-bond-
| ridden, lazy clod -hoppers. Is it possible
that you are going to call your organiza
ton an Alliance instead of a Clubs' Oh
antagonism. antagonism,
Our friend appears either not to have
lived long enough to learn or else he has
tha hot ho1 4
of antagonism. A universal law runs
through all nature, in the armament above
and in all the earth beneath, placing one
thing in antagOnism to another; so that
all life, both animal and vegetable, all sue
cess, all progress, are the result of opposing
forces, and there can be neither life nor
death, progress nor Improvement, except
as result of such forces The heavenly
bodies are held in their paths as they per-
form their stupendOus revolutions by OPP
posing forces. The plants upon which
man and beast subslSt grow from seed to
harvest as a result of opposing forces. Our
bodies subsist upon what we devour and
consume, and we breathe and live as a re-
suit of the God-ordained opposing forces,
and finally die and waste away as a result
of opposing forces.
The stones in the quarries and upon the
mountain side exist under the law of OPP
posing force; which we may call the law #
chemical affinity. The soil that we till and
| on which We subsist is the result of OPP
posing forces. 'AntagOnism, Antago-
nism..' And yet your Laurinburs cor
respondent, would-be leader in political
economy, has not learned that he owes
his very existence to opposing forces, tan
tagonism) Our pretended friend declares
that farmers will never succeed by antag-
| onizlng other important interests and IN
dustries." By this we are to understand
| that an organization, just such as he longs
| to see, (but under another name) will an
| tagonize other industries. Poor logic.
| Which is most antagOnlzing to all other
| industries the farmers united to mutually
| strengthen and encourage each other and
| push forward their high calling to higher
and better standard, or ceasing to cultivate
the fields, becoming serfs, sinking into
| illiteracy and superstition. Are they not
antagonizing all other industries and pro-
| fessons, the existence of which is depen-
| dent upon them, by not organlzingI We
think it easy to show that if they had been
united twenty or even fifty years ago, and
| maintained their organization to the pres
ent time intact, all other professions and
industries among US would to-day be in a
| much better condition.
| We would like to know to what branch
| of ''mechanics" our lecturer at aurlnburg
belongs2 Many branches of mechanics
| have recently organized into unions, then
| into assemblies. Was it necessary? Any
antagonsm in it2 We do not say there is
1t has been said that ''self preservation is
| the first law of nature" or words to that
effect. If that is so, then the law is wrong
or else our I'D. 7. H." is wrong. Which
| is 1t?
''To be sure merchants and lawyers are
| excluded from the SACRED HALLS of the
| Alliance as we'll a. the doctors who are
fortunate enough to have drug store. -"
We observe in this quotation the spirit of
cd. T. H." He does not try so hard to
conceal HIS antagonism in the above SEN
tence; he has done violence to the TRUTH
| and denominated their meeting-places as
'ssacred halls Could such manifest treju-
dice do justice to any class of men? We
think not. Read him again: Suppose
the merchants, druggists and capitalists
generally form an alliance, and the labor
| ers and doctors form an alliance, &c. "
Has cd. T. H." not yet learned that all
these classes ARE ORGANIZED, and that no
body has ever made much "fuss'' about it2
And that they meet, not in ''sacred halls, "
| but at their stated places of meeting, and
burn the midnight lamp (some of them)
| consulting together and laying out plans
for improving themselves not only collec-
lively but individually, and that they not
infrequently set their prices upon their
| services, and bind each other to exact and
| receive such pricesl Such is the case; and
are they antagonizing each other? If so,
it proves the utility of antagonism.
Now I'D. T. H." makes another false
statement in regard to the fees and man
ner of organizing Alliances. We will NOT
correct it.
In conclusion, Mr. Editor, we wish to
State that members of the Farmers ALI
ance as class do not wish to rush into
print, or engage in any controversies, but
try to attend to their own business in a
quiet way, do better work and more of ii
in the future, antagonize nobody, keeI
their own secrets if they have any, vote
for whom they please, sell where they car
get the most for their products, spend
their money when they have any where
they can get the most and best for it.
And when the outside world wants to know
all about our business let them call upon
cd. T. H." mechanic of Laurinburg; il
may be he is in just the position to en-